Monday, May 22, 2023
Honoring and Thanking EMS Professionals
NIOSH Revokes N95 Respirators Temporary Approvals
Grant Opportunity: Improving Pregnancy Outcomes
Webinar: Meeting the Opioid Challenge in the ED
Illinois COVID-19 Data
Briefly Noted
Honoring and Thanking EMS Professionals
This National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week, IHA honors the contributions of EMS professionals throughout Illinois, who serve on the frontlines of our healthcare system and offer a vital public service by providing important, prehospital and inter-hospital care.
Each year, on May 21-27 we recognize and celebrate EMS professionals as they respond, support and care for our communities. During EMS Week, we honor those who provide day-to-day lifesaving services, and seek to increase awareness of the critical role of EMS on medicine’s frontline.
Click here for resources to help you support your community’s EMS professionals as we applaud the value and accomplishments of the emergency medical services providers who rise to the challenge every day to provide life-saving care to those in need.
NIOSH Revokes N95 Respirators Temporary Approvals
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) last week revoked eight approvals for N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and four powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) that had been issued as limited, temporary Public Health Emergency (PHE) approvals. NIOSH stated these respirators are no longer recognized as NIOSH approved respirators and cannot be used by healthcare providers. Click here to view the list of respirators.
Grant Opportunity: Improving Pregnancy Outcomes
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced it is accepting Fiscal Year 2023 grant applications for the Healthy Start Initiative – Enhanced (HSE). The HSE was established to improve health outcomes before, during and after pregnancy and reduce racial/ethnic difference in rates of infant death and adverse perinatal outcomes. There is up to $11 million available for up to 10 awards.
The program uses two approaches:
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Providing direct and enabling services (screening and referrals, care coordination, parenting education, etc.) to HSE participants; and
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Establishing Community Consortia (formerly known as Community Action Networks [CANs]) made up of diverse, multi-sector partners that advise and inform HSE activities.
Click here to view a Health Start flyer for additional information. Click here for application information.
Applications are due by July 17.
Webinar: Meeting the Opioid Challenge in the ED
The Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) and the Chicago Dept. of Public Health (CDPH) are presenting a webinar series, “Meeting the Opioid Challenge in the ED.” The four-session webinar series will be held through the summer, for all clinicians interested in learning more about providing Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) to ED patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Click here for more information about the sessions and to register.
As of January 2023 clinicians no longer need a special waiver, commonly known as the “X waiver,” to prescribe buprenorphine. The purpose of the removal of the X waiver was to expand care to patients with OUD. However, there remains a significant gap in knowledge about treatment, as well as a reluctance to engage with people with OUD.
These trainings aim to close that gap for medical professionals and others who support people with OUD in emergency departments.
The dates of the currently scheduled webinar sessions will be:
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June 9 – Session 1: Overview of the Opioid Challenge
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June 23 – Session 2: Overcoming Stigma and Bias in Opioid Treatment
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July 14 – Session 3: Dosing, Risk, Readiness and other Technical Questions
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July 25 – Session 4: Treatment and Referral Workflows, Billing and Resources
Of note, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) license renewals now require eight hours of opioid related Continuing Medical Education credit. Webinar participants will receive one hour credit toward the DEA requirement for each session attended.
Illinois COVID-19 Data
With the state of Illinois and the nation ending the Public Health Emergency (PHE) last week, the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) announced it is shifting to a new cadence for data reporting and will release updates every other week. The next update will be May 26. IDPH will continue to report COVID-19 data on the weekly number of people admitted to hospitals from emergency departments, deaths and vaccinations, as well through the dashboard of the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System.
Briefly Noted
New cases of chronic pain occur more often among U.S. adults than new cases of several other common conditions, including diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure. Among people who have chronic pain, almost two-thirds will still have it the following year. These findings come from a new analysis of National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data by investigators from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and University of Washington, published in JAMA Network Open.
A new study supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) analyzed national suicide data to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth suicide rates in the United States. They identified an increase in suicide deaths during the pandemic that varied by factors including gender, age, race and ethnicity, and suicide method. The findings highlight existing disparities in suicide rates that may have been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.